


A Strange Encounter

by CaptainJZH



Series: Steven's Travels, or: Steven Meets Characters From Other Shows On The Road [1]
Category: Gravity Falls, Infinity Train (Cartoon), Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Crossover, Fluff and Humor, Future Fic, Gen, Humor, Multiple Crossovers, No Season 3 Spoilers, Post-Series, Post-Steven Universe Future, Road Trips, post-infinity train season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:35:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainJZH/pseuds/CaptainJZH
Summary: Lake and Jesse are on a road trip through the American southwest, when they encounter a kind stranger at a gas station.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran & Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe, Jesse Cosay & Lake | Mirror Tulip, Jesse Cosay/Lake | Mirror Tulip
Series: Steven's Travels, or: Steven Meets Characters From Other Shows On The Road [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1885231
Comments: 13
Kudos: 91





	A Strange Encounter

Jesse and Lake were going on a trip. Lake hadn’t really seen the world except through glass, so seeing more of it was naturally high on her list of things to do. Jesse drove a crappy 1977 El Camino, one of those cars that tried to be both a sedan and a pickup truck. He also had no idea how to drive a stick shift, which kinda sucked in a car that drove exclusively in manual. 

But gosh, Lake didn’t  _ care.  _ Not only was she free, she was traveling the country with her best friend! Who cared if the doofus had a shitty taste in cars that he didn’t know how to drive? She was having the time of her life, staring at the window, then back at Jesse, then back out the window, then some more at Jesse… Just to make sure he was doing alright, she swore.

“So there are these weird canyons around here, I’ve heard,” Jesse said as they drove through the desert.

“Weird,  _ how,  _ exactly?”

“Like, there are all these person-shaped holes in the walls.”

“Whoa, really?” Lake asked, her interest piqued.

“Yeah, and then there are all these big metal things laying around. I read about it on some blog.”

Lake turned skeptical. “This isn’t that Fryman guy again, is it?”

Jesse didn’t answer.

“Jesse, you  _ goob,”  _ Lake laughed, punching him in the shoulder. “I’m pretty sure you’re his only subscriber.”

“He has a  _ loyal fanbase… _ Granted most of the fanbase thinks it’s some weird ARG but that’s besides the point.”

Interrupting the conversation was the  _ bing  _ of the fuel light, and the convenient sight of a gas station. After pulling in, Jesse got out, leaving Lake in the car. See, being real instead of the instrument of a vaguely-horrifying-but-also-cool train that stretched into infinity was  _ great.  _ But being a shiny girl made of metal was the sort of thing that nabbed you a lot of friends,  _ and _ a lot of stares from passersby _.  _ Which she normally didn’t mind, she loved attention, but on a bright day like this, Lake tended to, well,  _ shine.  _ So she sat in the car.

In the next gas stall over, another car was pulling in — a ‘96 Dondai Supremo — its driver wearing a black T-shirt with a yellow star. A pink jacket was wrapped around his waist as he fanned himself in the heat.

“Oh wow, is that a Supremo?” Jesse remarked. “My dad had one of these!”

The man chuckled. “Funny, I got this from  _ my _ dad.”

“Then maybe,” Jesse began, “We had the  _ same  _ dad!”

The man fake-gasped. “Long lost brothers!” 

As the two burst into laughter, Lake couldn’t resist rolling down the window. “You’re both  _ dorks!” _

To her surprise, the man didn’t stare or begin to ask questions, but instead reached out his hand. “Steven Universe, glad to meet you.”

Lake slowly stuck out her hand. “I’m Lake.”

“Jesse,” Jesse introduced himself, unsolicited.

“Where are you guys headed?” Steven asked after shaking their hands.

“Those weird canyons with the people holes and the metal thingies?” Jesse described. “You know it?”

Steven laughed. “Oh,  _ I know it.” _

Weirded out by the cryptic answer, Lake asked where he was headed. Steven shrugged. “Nowhere in particular.”

\---

“Connie, I’m telling you she was made of  _ metal,”  _ Steven said over the phone that night, having reached his motel room.

“And?” Connie asked, in her dorm room many miles away.

“What do you mean,  _ and?  _ People aren’t just  _ made  _ out of metal!”

“People aren’t just  _ made  _ out of light emanating from an alien gemstone, either, but you don’t see me complaining,” Connie quipped.

“Hey, Peridot assured me that there’s a perfectly scientific explanation for that, I just never got around to listening,” Steven defended. “Anyway, how’s college going?”

“It’s going great!” Connie exclaimed, rolling around in her bed. “There’s this girl in my game design class, Tulip, and she has all these awesome ideas, and I can’t wait to see her again!”   
  
“Connie, is this a bi moment?”

Connie blushed.  _ “No it is not a—”  _ She looked over at Dipper, her roommate, who was scribbling notes in his journal. “Dipper, were you writing any of this down?”

Dipper sheepishly shifted in his bed. “...Only the parts about the metal girl.”

_ “See?!”  _ Steven yelled into the phone. “At least  _ someone  _ thinks it’s a big deal.”

Connie rolled her eyes. “Steven, remind me to keep Dipper as far away from you as possible next time you visit. I think a conversation with you would destroy Dipper’s brain.”

“Hey!” Dipper called out. “That’s only  _ hypothetically _ accurate.”

“Danny told you he was a ghost and you were chasing him across campus for a week hoping he’d turn invisible,” Connie explained. “Then you noticed that Timmy always had pink and green on him and that was apparently a conspiracy by the Magic Council or whatever. And  _ then  _ there was Marco telling you about his magic girlfriend, but then she had ‘royal duties’ so she didn’t show up!”

As Dipper pouted, Steven took that as his cue to leave. “Talk to you later, Connie!”

“Love you!” Connie said, hanging up.

Back in his motel room, Steven couldn’t stop thinking of Lake, the metal girl. He wanted to see her and Jesse again. Not to ask questions, but just to chat.

Luckily, he knew exactly where they were going.

**Author's Note:**

> IT season 2 is best season don't @ me, and Jesse & Lake are dorks and I love them


End file.
